Movable molds or forms for producing concrete or asphalt pavement and the like are known. Selected examples of the patented prior art are contained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,492, Jonell, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,773, Davis.
The primary objective of this invention is to improve upon the known prior art by the provision of a slip form which has the ability to produce reinforced concrete or concrete-polymer channel sections of the types required for the floors and roofs of certain types of buildings. Such channel sections must be molded with a high degree of uniformity and smoothness with the absence of external or internal imperfections to the greatest possible extent. They must be adequately radiused internally for strength and they must possess a very high strength-to-weight ratio in order to be practical. It is very difficult and costly to produce this type of concrete channel section in a static mold.
The present invention completely satisfies the need for an efficient form or mold for the mentioned channel sections by the provision of a slip form which may be moved in a linear path by a suitable winch mechanism on guide rails which constitute the sides of the form or mold. The rails are suitably fixed to a flat base which establishes the bottom face of the channel section being produced. Skid members which move on the tops of the guide rails also serve to mold the top linear edges of the channel section and a pair of fore and aft adjustable templates guide a preformed channel-like metal reinforcement into place while establishing the wall thicknesses of the channel section and the internal radii thereof with a high degree of accuracy and uniformity. The slip form also incorporates an adjustable outlet hopper for a mass of wet concrete or a concrete-polymer mix which is gravity-dispensed onto the flat base and between the form guide rails during linear movement of the form.
The slip form is characterized by simplicity, ease of adjustment, ruggedness and minimum maintenance. It possesses the ability to produce high quality structural molded channel sections in a minimum of time substantially without manual labor. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description.